Hat-holder



(No Model.)

' i W. JOHNSTON, Jr.

HAT HOLDER Patented Nov. '16, 1897.

UNITED STATES PATENT. Fries.

YVILLIAM JOHNSTON, J R., OF SOMERVILLE, MASSACHUSETTS.

HAT-HOLDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 593,805, dated November16, 1897.

Application filed August 20, 1896. Serial N-' 603,365. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known'that LWILLIAM JOHNSTON, Jr. of Somerville, in the county ofMiddlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in I-Iat-Holders, of which the following is adescription sufficiently full, clear, and exact to enable those skilledin the art to which it appertains or with which it is most nearlyconnected to make and use the same;

This invention has relation to means for supporting or holding hatsbeneath the pews or seats in churches,.halls, and other places, so thatthe hats so held shall be out of the way and out of danger of beingdamaged.

It is the objectof'the invention to provide a hat-holder for use in theplaces mentioned which may be manipulated so as to be readilyaccessible, which shall hold the hat without injury out of the way, andwhich shall normally support the hat in exactly the desired position.

To these ends the invention consists of'a hat-holder pivoted in positionbeneath a pew or seat, so that it may be swung out from position beneaththe seat, receive the hat placed therein, and be retracted or drawn backagain .and held beneath the seat by means of a spring, all as I will nowproceed to describe in detail and then point out with particularity inthe claims.

Reference is to be had to the annexed drawings, and to the lettersmarked thereon, forming a part of this specification, the same lettersdesignating the same parts or features, as the case may be, whereverthey occur.

Of the drawings, Figure l is a front view of a part or section of a pewor seat with my invention applied thereto. Fig. 2 is an end view of thesame, looking from the left as the invention is seen in Fig. 1. Fig. 3is a plan view of the main parts of the device detached from the pew orseat.

In carrying out my invention I take a length of sufficiently stout wireand bend the same into aloop or ring a of a diameter large enough toreceive therethrough the crown of a largesized hat and sufficientlysmall to engage the rim of the hat to support the same thereby. I formthe ends of the wire into or connect them with a shank b, which is inturn connected with or made a part of a standard 0,

which is journaledat its upper and lower ends in a bracket 61,constituting a pivot for the support a. The bracket is formed of metalor other suitable material in such a manner as to adapt it to be screwedor otherwise secured to the under surface of a pew, seat, or bench e insuch position as that when the holding-loop is moved outward it may beentirely drawn from under the pew or bench and forward of the front edgethereof, and when it is folded back it will be wholly beneath the same.

To'keep the holder normally in retracted position, so that it may hold ahat which may be placed therein entirely under the seat and out of theway at all times when not wanted for use, I coil a spring f about thestandard 0, securing one end thereto and the other end to the bracket orother stationary part in such manner that the spring will retract theholder. An arm 9 is connected with the standard, and with its free endthere is connected a cord h, which extends through a guide-eye on thefront edge of the pew and is provided on its outer end with a knob j, sothat by taking hold of the knob and drawing on the cord the holder maybe swung out to receive a hat or have a hat taken therefrom, and whenthe knob is released the holder will be retracted to normal position,the rear part of the bracket acting as a stop for the arm to limit theextent of the inward movement of the holder. Any other suitable stopmay, however, be provided for the purpose.

It will be noted that the standard 0 is inthis construction andarrangement being for the purpose of utilizing the gravity of the loopor holder or when weighted with a hat or with its own weight to swing orfold it back under the seat, and insome instances I may dispense withthe spring and utilize-the gravity of the holder alone for the purposeof securing its retraction or folding to back position.

I have proposed to secure the improvement to other things than thebottom of the pew or seat 6. Hence I do not limit myself to the precisearrangement of the parts shown, nor do I confine myself to the exactform and construction shown, since it is obvious that they may be variedwithin the limits of mechanclined or canted backward in the bracket (1,

vided with the holder-loop a, its shank b, and the arm g; a spring fcoiled about the standard and having one end secured thereto and theother end secured to a fixed part; the guide-eye z; and cord h, securedat one end to the arm and extending through the guideeye, as set forth.

2. A hat-holder comprising in its construction the bracket d, adapted tobe secured to the under side of a seat; combined with the standard 0, journaled in the bracket and provided with the holder-loop a, its shankI), and the arm g; the said standard being set on an incline in thebracket, whereby the holdingloop and its shank will normally, by theirown gravity, be swung under the seat, the guideeye 1; and cord h securedat one end to the arm 9 and extending through the guide-eye, as setforth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses, this 18th day of August, A. D.1896.

WVILLIAM JOHNSTON, JR.

Witnesses:

ARTHUR W. CROSSLEY, JOHN M. C011.

